"I hear that your Discovery Channel obsession finally paid off." Catherine
walked into the break room where Nick was pouring himself a cup of coffee.
Nick looked perplexed. "Sorry?"
Catherine chuckled as she poured herself a cup. "Apparently, Warrick didn't tell you."
Nick raised an eyebrow as her raised his coffee cup to his lips. "Tell me what?"
"Cat hair. DNA. Washington, DC. Snowball." Catherine looked amused as she took a sip of the dark hot liquid.
A realization dawned on Nick. "Oh, yeah, I told him about that case a couple of months ago. I think it was written up in one of the forensic journals I get too."
A surprised expression flickered over Catherine's face.
Nick raised an eyebrow. "What? You don't think I read forensic journals? I am a CSI."
Catherine chuckled. "Sorry, Nicky. It's just that you always seem to tell us about stuff you've seen on the Discovery Channel."
Nick tried to feign a pout. "I'm hurt."
Catherine raised and eyebrow and took another sip of her coffee. "You'll get over it."
He chuckled. "Ok, so how does this relate to the case? I've been a little out of the loop."
"The lab in DC confirmed that the cat hair comes from a rare breed that very few people in Vegas have. In fact, there are only a handful of breeders in the entire country." Catherine grinned.
"Do we have a suspect?" Nick queried.
"Working on it." Catherine replied. She tilted her head to the side. "How's Sara?"
Nick smiled softly. "She's doing ok. I think Grissom making her take a couple of weeks off is a good thing. It scared the crap out of me though that she agreed to it."
"What is she doing with the time off?" Catherine queried.
Nick grinned. "You mean besides trying to get me to do that show 'Trading Spaces'?"
"She isn't?" Catherine laughed.
Nick nodded. "She is. She seems to think that my house is too masculine."
"So is she still sleeping there?" Catherine questioned tentatively.
Nick shook his head. "She spent the last two days at her own place. She called me three or four times, but she didn't come over. I'd say that's progress." He smiled.
"Has she thought about talking to someone?" Catherine continued with concern.
"Actually, she is. Can you believe it? She's seeing the same person I went to, that friend of yours." He took another sip of his coffee. "I went with her the first time. I know it was really tough for her to do, but I'm really proud of her. She already seems more relaxed."
Catherine looked please and started to chuckle.
Nick raised a curious eyebrow. "What?"
A mischievous smile flickered across her face. "You look good in love, Nicky."
Nick tried to restrain his grin even as color infused his cheeks. "Is it that obvious?"
She smiled. "Yeah, it is. How does Sara feel?"
Nick glanced at the floor for a moment before looking back up at Catherine. "She's not sure yet."
Catherine smiled softly at him and touched his arm. "She'll come around."
"I hope so." Nick confessed with a lopsided smile.
Sara's Apartment:
Sara had begun digging through boxes she hadn't looked through in years. Things that she'd just moved from one place to another. She laughed as she pulled out a worn stuffed teddy bear. "I didn't know I still had this old thing."
With all this free time on her hands, she'd decided to do a little spring cleaning, even if it was November. It had been almost two weeks since she'd been at work, and through some coaxing and encouragement from Nick, she'd agreed to go to see a counselor who specialized in sexual abuse. In fact, Nick had gone to the same counselor through some encouragement from Catherine, and it had helped him tremendously.
She had pulled out another box to begin looking through when her phone rang. Considering the time of night, she had a pretty good idea who it was. "Hello."
"Hey, babe." Nick's voice was warm and his drawl seemed to be a little more pronounced than normal.
"Hey." She smiled and it was evident in her voice. Despite Sara not being completely sure about her feelings for Nick, they had decided to date each other and see where things might go.
Nick continued, with a bit of hesitation in his voice. "Uh, how would you feel about taking a couple more days off?"
Sara sounded a little confused. "Why?"
Nick chuckled. "Well, Thanksgiving is next week and I was wondering if you'd like to come with me to Texas."
"Texas, huh?" Sara replied. "For a minute there I thought you were going to tell me that they'd hired someone to replace me at the lab."
Nick laughed. "No one could replace you, Sar."
Sara heard some muffled talking in the background.
"Can it, Sanders. And for the record, yes, I am sweet talking Sara." Nick sounded amused.
Sara started to giggle. "You're cute, you know that don't you?"
Nick sounded like he was smiling as he answered her. "You're cuter."
"Flirt." Sara tried to restrain the grin on her face.
Nick chuckled. "Only with you."
"So, how many people are in your family again?" Sara queried nervously.
"You want to come then?" He sounded hopeful.
"You didn't answer my question. You have what, one brother and five sisters?" She continued.
"And their families." Nick sounded amused.
Sara was quiet for a few moments as she thought about meeting that many people all at once. "Am I in for an interrogation?"
Nick laughed. "Maybe. But they're going to love you."
"Uh, can I think about it?" Sara felt a little overwhelmed.
"Yeah." Nick replied, trying not to sound disappointed.
"Thanks." Sara sounded relieved.
"Hey." Nick interjected.
"Yeah?" Sara queried.
"I love you." Nick's voice was soft.
"I'll call you later." Sara's voice had the hint of a smile. She hung up the phone and lay back on the floor considering her conversation with Nick. The last few weeks had been intense. Since she'd been going to see a counselor, she had felt less out of control and more grounded as she began to deal with the sexual assault that she'd experienced so many years ago. She had actually managed to sleep in her own bed, although she'd called Nick several times. He was really good for her and that thought made her smile as she came to a realization.
She picked up the phone and punched in the familiar number. "Hey."
Nick chuckled on the other end of the line. "That was quick."
She smiled. "I want to come to Texas."
Nick could not hide his excitement over the phone. "They are going to love you, Sara. I can't wait to let them know you're coming." There was some muffled talking in the background. "Hey, Sar, I need to go, we've got a lead on this case."
"Ok." She smiled. "Nick, just one more thing."
"What's that?" Nick replied curiously as he was being pushed to end the call.
Sara couldn't contain the grin that spread across her face. "I love you too."
Nick looked perplexed. "Sorry?"
Catherine chuckled as she poured herself a cup. "Apparently, Warrick didn't tell you."
Nick raised an eyebrow as her raised his coffee cup to his lips. "Tell me what?"
"Cat hair. DNA. Washington, DC. Snowball." Catherine looked amused as she took a sip of the dark hot liquid.
A realization dawned on Nick. "Oh, yeah, I told him about that case a couple of months ago. I think it was written up in one of the forensic journals I get too."
A surprised expression flickered over Catherine's face.
Nick raised an eyebrow. "What? You don't think I read forensic journals? I am a CSI."
Catherine chuckled. "Sorry, Nicky. It's just that you always seem to tell us about stuff you've seen on the Discovery Channel."
Nick tried to feign a pout. "I'm hurt."
Catherine raised and eyebrow and took another sip of her coffee. "You'll get over it."
He chuckled. "Ok, so how does this relate to the case? I've been a little out of the loop."
"The lab in DC confirmed that the cat hair comes from a rare breed that very few people in Vegas have. In fact, there are only a handful of breeders in the entire country." Catherine grinned.
"Do we have a suspect?" Nick queried.
"Working on it." Catherine replied. She tilted her head to the side. "How's Sara?"
Nick smiled softly. "She's doing ok. I think Grissom making her take a couple of weeks off is a good thing. It scared the crap out of me though that she agreed to it."
"What is she doing with the time off?" Catherine queried.
Nick grinned. "You mean besides trying to get me to do that show 'Trading Spaces'?"
"She isn't?" Catherine laughed.
Nick nodded. "She is. She seems to think that my house is too masculine."
"So is she still sleeping there?" Catherine questioned tentatively.
Nick shook his head. "She spent the last two days at her own place. She called me three or four times, but she didn't come over. I'd say that's progress." He smiled.
"Has she thought about talking to someone?" Catherine continued with concern.
"Actually, she is. Can you believe it? She's seeing the same person I went to, that friend of yours." He took another sip of his coffee. "I went with her the first time. I know it was really tough for her to do, but I'm really proud of her. She already seems more relaxed."
Catherine looked please and started to chuckle.
Nick raised a curious eyebrow. "What?"
A mischievous smile flickered across her face. "You look good in love, Nicky."
Nick tried to restrain his grin even as color infused his cheeks. "Is it that obvious?"
She smiled. "Yeah, it is. How does Sara feel?"
Nick glanced at the floor for a moment before looking back up at Catherine. "She's not sure yet."
Catherine smiled softly at him and touched his arm. "She'll come around."
"I hope so." Nick confessed with a lopsided smile.
Sara's Apartment:
Sara had begun digging through boxes she hadn't looked through in years. Things that she'd just moved from one place to another. She laughed as she pulled out a worn stuffed teddy bear. "I didn't know I still had this old thing."
With all this free time on her hands, she'd decided to do a little spring cleaning, even if it was November. It had been almost two weeks since she'd been at work, and through some coaxing and encouragement from Nick, she'd agreed to go to see a counselor who specialized in sexual abuse. In fact, Nick had gone to the same counselor through some encouragement from Catherine, and it had helped him tremendously.
She had pulled out another box to begin looking through when her phone rang. Considering the time of night, she had a pretty good idea who it was. "Hello."
"Hey, babe." Nick's voice was warm and his drawl seemed to be a little more pronounced than normal.
"Hey." She smiled and it was evident in her voice. Despite Sara not being completely sure about her feelings for Nick, they had decided to date each other and see where things might go.
Nick continued, with a bit of hesitation in his voice. "Uh, how would you feel about taking a couple more days off?"
Sara sounded a little confused. "Why?"
Nick chuckled. "Well, Thanksgiving is next week and I was wondering if you'd like to come with me to Texas."
"Texas, huh?" Sara replied. "For a minute there I thought you were going to tell me that they'd hired someone to replace me at the lab."
Nick laughed. "No one could replace you, Sar."
Sara heard some muffled talking in the background.
"Can it, Sanders. And for the record, yes, I am sweet talking Sara." Nick sounded amused.
Sara started to giggle. "You're cute, you know that don't you?"
Nick sounded like he was smiling as he answered her. "You're cuter."
"Flirt." Sara tried to restrain the grin on her face.
Nick chuckled. "Only with you."
"So, how many people are in your family again?" Sara queried nervously.
"You want to come then?" He sounded hopeful.
"You didn't answer my question. You have what, one brother and five sisters?" She continued.
"And their families." Nick sounded amused.
Sara was quiet for a few moments as she thought about meeting that many people all at once. "Am I in for an interrogation?"
Nick laughed. "Maybe. But they're going to love you."
"Uh, can I think about it?" Sara felt a little overwhelmed.
"Yeah." Nick replied, trying not to sound disappointed.
"Thanks." Sara sounded relieved.
"Hey." Nick interjected.
"Yeah?" Sara queried.
"I love you." Nick's voice was soft.
"I'll call you later." Sara's voice had the hint of a smile. She hung up the phone and lay back on the floor considering her conversation with Nick. The last few weeks had been intense. Since she'd been going to see a counselor, she had felt less out of control and more grounded as she began to deal with the sexual assault that she'd experienced so many years ago. She had actually managed to sleep in her own bed, although she'd called Nick several times. He was really good for her and that thought made her smile as she came to a realization.
She picked up the phone and punched in the familiar number. "Hey."
Nick chuckled on the other end of the line. "That was quick."
She smiled. "I want to come to Texas."
Nick could not hide his excitement over the phone. "They are going to love you, Sara. I can't wait to let them know you're coming." There was some muffled talking in the background. "Hey, Sar, I need to go, we've got a lead on this case."
"Ok." She smiled. "Nick, just one more thing."
"What's that?" Nick replied curiously as he was being pushed to end the call.
Sara couldn't contain the grin that spread across her face. "I love you too."